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Menopause and Weight Gain


Suninfrance

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Thought there might be a few people out there who would like to share their experience regarding menopause and weight gain and other such problems.

This is just a "lead in" for those who are interested, but thought it might be best to keep to PMs (personal mails) only.

Anyone interested in joining in?

Jan

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Brave post Jan...[:)]

I have just read about some tests you can get from the pharmacie, which help determine if the symptoms women usually experience before the menopause (sleeplessness, weight gain, tiredness, headaches, forgetfulness...) are actually a sign of pre-menopause.

They measure the level of a specific hormone in urine, as an increase indicates the arrival of  the pre-menopause.

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On this subject, a really great and helpful book is Jenny Murray's "Is it me, or is it hot in here?"  Wonderful.

Happily for me it was early and problem free.  Actually I find it really liberating that all that stuff is behind me and although I may have put on a few pounds (and I think that's probably more to do with retirement and being less busy) I haven't noticed any fundamental differences since.  It never occured to me to get tested or anything else, I just knew it was happening and why and got on with it.  I guess I was lucky.

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I am heading towards being pre-menopausal with a few issues already.  I asked my doctor (who specialising in Gynae) about having a test done and she said they're not really worth the paper they're written on as your hormone levels vary during your cycle and it dpends where they were at the time have having the test done.

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OK -  I can probably join in this one.    Don't like doctors etc much so haven't bothered going - but does this sound familiar (mid-40s - Oh, OK then, heading towards later 40's!!).

It's very hot at nights, far far hotter than it used to be; only I think its hotter than it used to be, OH hasn't noticed change at all .... OH has noticed my new and singularly unpleasant habit of copious sweating in the night.    Similarly he has noticed that (although, as I say, he doesn't agree with this) I think its much hotter than it used to be.   He knows that I think this because he spends a lot of the night muttering obscenities at me in his sleep, whilst dragging the covers back over himself.    He is also slightly irked by the fact that I now have a new found requirement to go for a pee roughly 35 times a night.    Mostly I am not asleep anyway, as I now require only 12.5 minutes sleep a night - although it has to be nicely spread out over a period of around 8 hours.    I think I have got a little fatter also; but that just could be that I now have 23.75  hours in which to eat, as opposed to the roughly 16 I used to have, so logic says I might bulk up a bit.

I think the above probably qualifies me  ........  what do you think ladies ???!

 

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12.5 minutes of sleep london eye - as much as that?  My thermostat is broke and I think I have moved to a tropical place.  I haven't so much put on weight as failed to lose it.  I think I may be turning into a sauna.  And is it me, or am I getting grumpier?  No - just damn place is too hot and what with that and the lack of sleep .......
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Yes, very tired, and grumpy.     Cry a lot as well, for no reason really - cat looks at me funny - cry.      Dog licks paws and looks a little under weather - cry.         Read sad story about old lady breaking a toe nail - yup .. cry.

OH looks at me strangely (probably wondering how long this is going to all go on for, and when he can stop going to bed wearing a rain-coat);  want to get out my secret axe under bed and hack him about a little - no, grumpy doesn't begin to describe it - psychotic perhaps ???

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You sound like a classic case, londoneye!  Honestly, do see if you can get hold of a copy of JM's book.  For me anyway, the biggest comfort is in realising that you are not alone, and that all this is quite normal.  Get your o/h to look through it too, he may have a little more sympathy in the nano-second before the axe makes contact with his head....

available from Amazon France here

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too late - he had that funny look in his eye just ONCE TOO OFTEN ...

Now, where can I hire one of those nice men in the Italian movies who comes round in the middle of the night and 'cleans' for you, if you get my drift.    Hope he cleans up my best turkish rug after he has taken OH away, cos it cost a fortune.

Might well treat myself to book; at end of day its just something you  have to get on with, so if you can have the occasional laugh about it in good company, who have 'been there, done it', then that makes you feel better anyway.

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My cousin (a nurse) had spent many years working for the Family Planning Service and several years ago was asked if she was interested in helping at a menopause clinic as an experiment - they were not sure there would be any interest!!!!  Of course they were inundated......

One aspect my cousin did comment on was that the menopause comes at a time of life when women are often caught between the wants, needs and trauma of teenagers and  aging parents who also may start to need more help. She said it was often difficult to sort out what were problems from the menopause and problems to do with just life !

 

 

 

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Where do you think Cerise is now ?

Probably still standing under that ice-cold shower !!

Funny how there is such a taboo about menopause; I've never regarded it as either embarassing or secret, just very very annoying !

Plenty of problems in life (reminds me, must start googling for cleaners, he might start to pong a bit soon !), but thankfully none relating to teenagers or aging parents yet ...

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Just googling 1001 things to do with an axe - having been incredibly vicious to some poor unsuspecting telephone salesperson.  Cold shower, cold shower, cold showe  ... if only I could remember where I'd left the axe.  Who are you calling grumpy?
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Just had to laugh at this thread as I have (hopefully) just come through the dreaded menopause & have experienced most of your symptoms....Crying for no apparent reason, having a go at the OH for no apparent reason - I think he is as relieved as I am that it now appears to be ending!! Am fighting the weight gain (& succeeding for the moment), but when we are in France, I have to be very strong not to partake of the odd baguette or croissant or the old saddle bags would soon appear!! Hopefully when we retire to France next year it will all be a distant memory.

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[quote user="Cerise"]having been incredibly vicious to some poor unsuspecting telephone salesperson. [/quote]You could have hit on a really good way to get rid of these irritating people altogether.  We could put together a mafia of menopausal women to transfer all their calls to when they won't go away.  We could make a fortune...
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Made me howl;    that would so work !

'Hallo, would you like to buy some double-glazing???'

Hot flush, hot flush

'listen you ba***rd, if you ever ring this number again I'm gonna come round your house and give my axe some more exercise - got it ?'

as opposed to the normal 'no thank you very much, but thank you so much for taking the time to ask me' .....

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Oh definitely.

Anyway, hope everyone suffering is getting through it OK - feel a bit mean now for subverting a serious post in such a way.

You will come through it - anyone who can't bring themselves to 'come out' on a public forum, is more than welcome to pm me also, for some moral support !!

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Blimey - I never thought it would create a 3 pager while my back was turned.

Seems there are a lot of menobats out there - and not just me.

Grumpy, crying, weight gain, hot flushes, night sweats.

Have had tests for the last two years to ascertain whereabouts I am in the meno and the results on the second lot of tests were greatly different from the first lot and I reckon I'm no longer peri menopausal but in for the real thing. 

My mum was going through hers when I was a teenager - hormone city in our house then.  Dad and brother kept their distance.

I have a book by Miriam Stoppard which explains it all and OH has read a couple of chapters when he couldn't understand why I would cry at the drop of  hat.  He does now, so I don't have to retrieve the axe just yet.  Mind you, there are other things that set me off.

What I did find useful was www.menopausematters.co.uk and their forum.  Especially the jokes on The Funny Side of Menopause.

Favourite places for hot flushes.  When out with friends, really hot days (like a need up to 20 flushes a day in that kind of weather), supermarket queue, when I'm talking to someone I don't know very well.  OH knows about it when I'm in the car and reach for the air con button and turn all the vents round.

So weight gain is a huge part of the meno and apparently your body fat redistributes - mainly to your waist and stomach.  I look about 10 months pregnant at the moment and find it difficult to wear anything that doesn't have an elasticated waistband.  Have got really good and covering up, but if I'm in shorts and vest top during the summer, I look like a toffee apple on a stick because although my legs have put on weight as well, they look all out of proportion with the rest of me.

Ho hum. 

Keep smiling though (even if it is through gritted teeth with an axe in your hands).

Jan
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Here's a good one from the website I mentioned:

his is a specially formulated diet designed to help WOMEN cope with the stress that builds during the day.

BREAKFAST

·         1 Grapefruit

·         1 slice whole-wheat toast

·         1 cup skim milk

 

LUNCH

·         1 small portion lean, steamed chicken with a cup of spinach

·         1 cup herbal tea

·         1 Penguin Biscuit

 

AFTERNOON TEA

·         The rest of the Penguins from the packet

·         1 tub of Gino Ginelli ice cream with chocolate topping

 

DINNER

·         4 bottles of wine (red or white)

·         2 loaves garlic bread

·         1 family size Supreme pizza

·         3 snickers bars

 

LATE NIGHT SNACK

·         1 whole cheesecake (eaten directly from the freezer)

 

REMEMBER:

"Stressed" spelled backwards is desserts

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If your flushes are more warm blushes than hot flushes, you may

find something as simple as half-an-hours exercise each morning helps

regulate temperature for the rest of the day. If you do something that

makes you sweat - walking up and down hills really briskly is a good

one - for 30 - 40 minutes each morning, you may find your temperature

behaves a bit more sensibly during the day. I suppose you could repeat

it in the evening and see if you get a better nights sleep out of it.

Don't expect to see results for a week or two but you might find it

helps. The other thing I'd say is to cut out all alcohol and see if

that reduces the sweating.

I have a theory that the worse the symptoms of one's periods over the

years - PMT, pain, discomfort and all that - the more "challenging" the

menopause. If periods were a hardly noticeable monthly event, the

menopause won't be much of a problem either.

Out of curiosity, are any of you considering HRT? I had a very early,

natural menopause so did use HRT for some years mostly because of the

alleged beneficial effects on bone density. I can't say I felt any

different on or off it.

Bon courage. The menopause is a good thing. If you're female and you don't go through it... it probably means you're dead. I'd always opt for the menopause option. [6]

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